listen to any song while read this ch.

Forest on the border of Elfier. Nighttime.

Two horses galloped hard through the darkness of the forest. The sound of hooves striking wet earth created a frantic rhythm.

A man with slicked-back black hair led the way. He wore a dark blue military uniform with a red cloak fluttering wildly behind him. He was Borda. His face was tense, his eyes focused ahead. He kept spurring his horse, urging it to go faster.

"We have to hurry. We've been away from the city for too long," Borda said. His voice was almost swallowed by the wind.

Beside him, a similarly dressed man with messy blonde hair and pale white eyes rode a horse at the same speed. He was Raphal. His face was still covered in black bloodstains and a light cut on his cheek, remnants of the previous battle.

"Who would have thought a monster of that level would appear there, Borda!" Raphal shouted, trying to be heard over the wind. "Tch. My clothes are dirty now. Dammit!"

Borda hissed without turning his head. "I don't care about your clothes. And why do you have to say that your clothes are dirty?!"

"Huh? Well, because I wanted to!" Raphal retorted. "And well, it doesn't matter if my clothes are dirty as long as the city is safe now. They can enjoy the festival in peace!"

"Stop talking! It's weird that you're shouting while riding a horse. And if you say that, why complain about your dirty clothes, idiot!" Borda yelled, frustrated.

"Hey, weren't you the one who spoke first!" Raphal shot back.

"Shut up! Just shut up! Or I'll tell Autumn that you like her!" Borda shouted again.

Raphal fell silent. He then tightened his horse's reins, spurring it faster, passing Borda with a faint smirk.

Their voices were slowly drowned out by the roar of the wind and the sounds of the night forest. They continued their journey towards Elfier City, cutting through the darkness at full speed.

After a while, they arrived.

At the front gate of Elfier City, a horrific sight greeted them. Two gate guards lay lifeless on the ground, their bodies covered in wounds. The city gate was slightly open, creaking softly in the wind.

"Oh my god, what just happened?!" Borda slowed his horse, his eyes widening.

Raphal was silent. He scanned his surroundings with his white eyes.

What is this? Wasn't the report of monsters appearing only in the level seven dungeon? Raphal muttered inwardly.

Raphal and Borda looked at each other for a few seconds. Wordlessly, they nodded. Both of them then slowly drew their weapons and entered the silent city.

...

A narrow alley in the Capital City of D'Elben.

A blinding light suddenly appeared, illuminating the dirty stone walls. When the light vanished, a figure of a man lay on the ground. The man had white hair and green eyes, wearing the somewhat rumpled clothes of a merchant.

It was Eutas.

The sound of festive music, cheerful chatter, and many footsteps began to reach his ears. Eutas opened his eyes, massaging his throbbing temples.

He looked around, confused.

"This..."

He stood up and walked out of the alley. The sight in front of him made him gasp.

"Th-this is... the Capital?!"

Before him, the streets were filled with happy-looking citizens. They wore fancy clothes, couples walked romantically under beautiful streetlights. Royal banners were draped everywhere, fluttering in the warm night breeze.

"I'm in D'Elben."

This is bad. If the person thrown to safety is me, then Cyhas and the others... Eutas bit his lip until it bled.

I must report this to the Kingdom immediately!

He regulated his breathing, then ran as fast as he could towards the palace looming in the distance.

...

Secret Headquarters of 00. On top of a mountain.

The room was luxurious, with marble floors and expensive furniture. A large window displayed a view of mountains outside.

Inside, the atmosphere felt warm and relaxed. All the captains of 00 were gathered there.

01, a pink-haired man, was sitting casually on a velvet sofa while reading a thick book. Meanwhile, 02, a blonde vampire girl, was casually biting 01's wrist. The girl was slowly sucking his blood.

"Oi. You're sucking too much. That's enough."

02 seemed to ignore the protest. She covered 01's mouth with her slender finger, then went back to sucking.

"You two are a bit weird, huh," said 04, a short-haired woman, who appeared to be playing cards at a round table with 03, a woman with a blue braid.

"They're a perfect match~," said 03 with a smile.

"Shut up, you guys," muttered 01. "Just so you know, earlier at the bar she was even weirder. Haaaa, being on a team with her is so troublesome." 01 sighed heavily, his eyes still focused on reading the novel in front of him.

02 released her bite. She slowly stroked 01's pink hair.

"Tch, what are you doing?" 01 tilted his head slightly to the side, avoiding the touch.

"Don't you realize people think we're dating, huh?"

02 responded by pinching 01's cheek hard.

"It hurts, stop it! It hurts aggh!" 01 roared in pain, his book almost falling.

"By the way, it's been over three hours. Why hasn't Boss come back yet? Is he okay?" said 04, throwing a card onto the table.

"Hmm, yeah, pretty strange. Even though the ritual should have started after we were transported," replied 03 while scanning the cards in her hand.

"Maybe he's taking a shit?" 01 joined the conversation, still rubbing his red cheek.

"How could he take a shit during a ritual?" 03 looked at 01 in astonishment.

"Eh, but it's possible, though." 04 said.

01 chuckled. "Right? Even someone as strong as him, if he has to go shit, he has to go shit"

"We killed all the strong adventurers, so... taking a shit is a plausible answer. Hm." 04 nodded in agreement with the theory.

Meanwhile, 07, a man in black armor, appeared to be lying on a long sofa with his armored helmet covering his face. He was still as a statue.

On the other side of the room, at a long dining table, 05 and 06 appeared to be enjoying their dinner.

"Come to think of it, it was rude of Boss to transport us in the middle of a fight," said 05 while cutting the meat on her plate roughly.

"Well, it was quite unexpected. About fifteen minutes earlier?" said 06. He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

03, who was playing cards, remembered something slightly. "Oh yeah, I saw when you first arrived your body was full of wounds. What happened, 05?" she asked.

"Hmm, yeah. I'm curious too. Was there an adventurer there who could hurt you?" said 04. She turned towards 05.

01 closed his book. He turned towards 05. 02 also stopped bitting 01 and turned.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm curious too."

"why are you all suddenly looking at me like that, huh?" 05 sighed. She put down her fork. She looked at 06. "You might be more surprised. He even made our heads disappear a few times."

01 put his book on the table. He looked at 05 and 06 fully. The 00 members there instantly focused on the two of them. The atmosphere became silent.

06 chuckled softly. "We met an adventurer. And his power was quite strange. I guarantee you've never met a power type like that."

05 nodded. "True, true."

"Hmm. What was his power?" asked 03, curious.

"He held a weapon that was quite strange. And it shot something that if it hit... your power seemed to vanish for a few seconds," 06 continued.

07, who had been lying down, woke up. He sat up and turned towards 05 and 06. His armor clinked. "Interesting," he said in a heavy voice. "Continue your explanation."

06 nodded. "His power seemed capable of deactivating someone's magic for a few seconds if hit by his attack. Plus, his level was still low."

"And well, of course he invited him to join us," said 05 with a grin.

"Ohh! Did it work? Did it work?" asked 02 enthusiastically, her eyes sparkling.

06 shook his head. "He challenged us to a two-on-one duel. Whether we won or lost, he would still join."

"Heeeh, that kid has guts too, huh. Did you accept?" asked 02.

"Of course! He fought me! But I had to use thirty-five percent of my power so the fight would be fair, he said." 05 said.

05 then leaned her head back on the chair and sighed. "...and well, while we were fighting, we were transported here..well he managed to wound me when the match had only been going for two or seven seconds."

"A-amazing..." 01 looked impressed hearing that.

"But well," said 06, "he's probably dead now. Because of the ritual. Unless he stopped Boss's ritual."

"What a shame. He seemed like he'd get along with us if he joined," said 04 with a disappointed tone.

"Can you describe him?" asked 07.

06 was silent for a moment, trying to remember. "Hmm. Purple hair. Holding a thin sword and a hand-sized weapon. His clothes were quite strange."

07 flinched slightly. "..Starfall."

"You know about him? Starfall is, if I'm not mistaken, the one who massacred the Adventurers Association and made the Guardians come, right?" 06 raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued.

07 nodded. "When I was a representative at Martis's meeting, I stopped by Dark Town to watch the tournament there. And... his characteristics are similar to what you said. But there he wore a white mask. Besides that, the purple hair, power, and weapon fit him perfectly."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "And as for the one who massacred, that's a different person. The Starfall who massacred the Association was an assassin. Whereas the one I saw didn't have assassin powers."

"Oh, so a fake, huh," 05 nodded in understanding.

06 chewed his meat again. After swallowing, he said, "And well, anyway, it's a shame if that kid died just like that."

...

In the snowy mountains.

A white natural landscape stretched out wide. Fathir was standing on the balcony of a wooden lodge, looking towards the mountains and enjoying the beautiful view in front of him. The night sky was adorned with thousands of stars and green aurora lights dancing above the mountain peaks.

He leaned against Lairas. His hands held a steaming cup of hot coffee.

"This place is truly beautiful..," Fathir said after sipping his coffee.

"agreed. Darling. agree," replied Lairas softly, resting her head on Fathir's shoulder.

"Oh yeah. I think I left something behind in Elfier."

"Oh, that's unusual? What is it?" asked Lairas.

"One of my shoes," answered Fathir. His eyes remained focused on the beautiful view in front of him, his head resting affectionately against Lairas.

Lairas chuckled. She pinched Fathir's cheek gently. "Turns out you can be clumsy~."

"Well, a sign that I'm still human. We'll just get it later. I hope nothing happened to my house there."

They fell silent again, enjoying the magical view in front of them.

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